Under New Management - Printable Version

She hadn't thought about creating Lesser-impersonators. That was a pretty decent idea, but she had to agree with Vargas - it would take time. Still, "It might be worth it in the long-run. This has been going for quite a while now, as far as I understand it." She grunted, almost like a verbal shrug. "But it may be better to focus efforts elsewhere. Sentries, cleansing, and getting ready for a siege. They probably know we are watching them anyways."

She had already prepared a list of those under her command and was ready for the question when it came up. "A fair number, to start with at least. I've been trying to designate them, not too different from yours. Oilstone T-One, a valkhound with fire magic, very swift and strong. Bloodstone T-One, a gembound moth - which may seem useless, but she has been a surprisingly useful spy and scout. She is difficult to see and she is learning mastery over the arcane. Opal T-One, or September, is a mutated gembound deer - strong with wind and fire magic, a little unfocused but has been coming through with cleansing efforts. Chromite T-One, a new-hatch gembound creation, planning to train it into an assassin or a hunter. And then my own spawn - a Bauxite, a Vesuvianite, and an Episodite. Soldiers for the first two, most likely, they are large and powerful, and a scout or scribe for the other. They are still learning." She tried to remember if there was any she was missing, but those were the ones she had, so far, gathered together. She nodded. "Yes, that's it for the time being. Most are gembound, or come from gembound, and have so far shown their loyalty and usefulness, or potential usefulness." For the most part. The Oilstone was missing, September was flighty and not all the way focused on her mission, and the Bauxite was...suspicious. But she kept those things to herself, for the time being.

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas listened, interjecting here or there. The mention of the moth, for example, made him shake his head. "Not at all. I lack good scouts and messengers myself." It was only a brief interruption, but one made in a lamenting tone.

Too, he murmured "Scribe?" in brief confusion, but that was it; he considered, when she had finished.

"You have a strong start. No name for your group, then? I will have to refer to you all as 'Overseer Tectus's group.' Let me know when that changes. In the meantime, how can we help each other?" he asked, thinking. "I do not know how much spare time you have, but cooperation will aid us both. So let me begin by saying that if you need my or the Forge's help you may come to me and if I can aid, of course, I will." Their goals aligned, after all. "In the meantime, if you find yourself with gaps you need to fill, certain roles, let me know and I can make one or two for you--or ask that mine create spawn to fit your needs, if they are willing." That was always a little personal, not something he would force, nor did he want anyone distracted by distress over lost spawn taken over by another master.

"My own run the gamut. Ours number around thirty. I have a couple of good assassins, an Emissary of all things, a few excellent combatants; I assume you saw one of the sentries on the way in--and quite a few more half-trained--and a number of rank-and-file soldiers. And a farmer," he added, as an afterthought. "With very large jaws." Zoey could fight, but he didn't ask it of her regularly. "I lack for small scouts and spies and messengers. Each time I create them they seem to fall dormant," he said, a little irritation trickling through, here. "But if at any point you require a small army, that I can provide."

Vargas ran his mind over everything else. "If you require a custom design, request it. If it is reasonable I will make room, though not often, of course. I am limited. In the meantime, feel free to make the rounds of my own members. If any of their designs pique your interest we may arrange a reproduction. If you find yourself lacking in numbers you may request--from me--one of them to fill a gap temporarily, as well. If I have no need of them and if they agree, I will lend them to you for various projects as you require."

Claws drummed the rock.

"If you find yourself with spare time, I can always use someone to train them further. Sparring, teaching, what have you. The Overseer I'd appointed to the task has failed," he finished bluntly, exhaling heavily. "I am trying to think if there is anything else I am missing. I presume Master Astraea covered the rest, but you are the first other Overseer to awaken. Can you think of anything else?" he asked.

Ah, right, a name - she had missed that in her report. "Oh, yes, it will be the Task Force. A little plain, maybe, but it gets the job done." And a nod at his confusion - "Yes, a record-keeper of sorts. I will probably send them to Cepheus to learn writing. It is not my highest priority, but perhaps once this scourge of Order is wiped clean from the caves we can return - or begin - cataloguing the gembound and valkhound roaming the caves."

She continued to nod and interjected little through Vargas's offer. She was growing excited - with Vargas's assistance and the Chaos Forge's alliance, this was turning out to be a much more filled out endeavor. Of course, it already was with Aethril's sponsorship, but knowing that she could ask Vargas for assistance at any time, or even ask him for a custom design, that was thrilling. It was much more responsibility then she'd ever had as an Overseer before, but she had always hungered for more. Because she knew she could handle it.

"Thank you, I'll keep all that in consideration. For now, I think we will just be finding our feet and the alignment of our goals. But I will be sure to come to you again once I have something more in mind." She might walk around his ranks before she returned to Orion and observe those that he had. It might not be a bad idea to get something in mind. Thirty was quite the number, too.

"I would be more then happy to train, although I am still getting my old strength back. But the training hasn't quite left these old bones just yet." She rolled back a shoulder. "I'll be sure to come back when I have some spare time for some spars. More then happy to."

For anything else, however, she felt satisfied in the information they'd exchanged. She was eager to return to Orion and get things started. "I think we've covered all for now. Yes, Master Astraea and Miss Aethril both filled in quite a bit. I will linger for a while longer, and then return to Orion and get things started there. Hopefully, it will not take long for things to get in motion."

- THE LEVIATHAN -

At the roll of Tectus's shoulder, Vargas laughed heartily. "Good!" he boomed. And--when she'd finished--he nodded. "If you think of anything else, return. I will generally be here." Busy creating, training, thinking. He tried to sound enthusiastic as he continued: "Perhaps with your assistance and your... Task Force," he said, trying out this new name, "we may yet restore ironic order to the Chaos of this nest." He grinned, always amused at the irony there. Though a "grin" was a difficult thing to manage with a rigid face; it was more of a weird leer.

Anyway.

"Do give the Valkhand my regards, and tell her that if she requires anything created, I ought to have a slot free in a couple of cycles." He nodded, then, and it was clear that he had least had nothing more he could think to address. "Until we speak again, Overseer."

Tectus nodded (she was doing that a lot). "I will be sure to. And if something should happen where I cannot come myself, I'll send one of my fastest. The Opal, perhaps, or the Bauxite. Hopefully such a thing won't be happening anytime soon." She shuddered. If Order chose now to attack as they had some cycles before she'd awoken, they'd find her, at least, utterly unprepared. Her trainees were horrendously untrained and her soldiers mere children.

Well, that was just a hypothetical. It wasn't going to happen. (Right?)

"I hope so. The world has changed a lot but...we'll find a way to continue our work. Be well, Master Vargas." Sensing the finality in his words, she nodded a last time and took her leave, turning to step out of Draco and head back to Orion. There was a lot to do and a lot to plan in the coming days.

*exit